This article is part of Immersive Rumours' coverage of WXO's London Experience Week 2025. SWAMP is a London-based brand agency that has previously worked with the likes of Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and Warner Bros to create immersive and experiential activations. From an overnight stay in the John Wick universe to a blood-soaked Vought office, SWAMP have consistently delivered elaborate and detailed experiences for some of the world's best-known global brands, alongside a string of critically-acclaimed ticketed Original productions for the general public, including The Drop, Saint Jude and the Isklander Trilogy. At WXO's London Experience Week 2025, SWAMP's Ollie Jones and ITV's Head of Brand Experiences, Charlie Cooper Henniker, presented a case study on their collaboration on a brand activation to promote Trigger Point Series 2 in 2024. Following their talk, we spoke to Ollie about SWAMP's path to becoming a brand experience agency, how that work sits alongside their Original productions, and their approach to creating new experiences. Photo: SWAMP Immersive Rumours: Hi Ollie, thanks for speaking with us today. Do you mind just introducing yourself and telling us a little bit about SWAMP? Ollie Jones: My name's Ollie Jones; I'm the co-founder and CEO. SWAMP is a brand experience agency and an immersive experience production house. We work with brand partners to do marketing events, and we also, at times, produce our own independent direct-to-consumer events. IR: Our readers are probably going to be more familiar with your original productions like The Drop and St Jude, but the brand activation side of the company is far more active than the original productions side. I would love to know how you first established yourself as an immersive brand agency. Ollie: Me and Clem, my co-founder, and some of the key early members of SWAMP are from a theatre background; we studied theatre. Clem and I started the company because we saw a lot of brand experience stuff happening, and we thought it was a bit flat and bland. When we were sweating blood into an Edinburgh show for no money and putting all our free time, and often all our not-free time, into that, we began to realise that brand experience work could be commercially rewarding and could help to prop up that other side of our life. We thought we could add something to the world of brand experience, and our expertise fits it really well. We always had dreams of doing our own stuff with the proceeds of brand work eventually, but that was expedited when we hit lockdown because everything got cancelled. We had nothing else to do, so we decided to make Plymouth Point, which is the first of the Isklander games. We felt we should do something during lockdown; we had nothing else to do, and we thought we had a cool idea. We thought if nothing else, it'll be something you can put in front of people and say, ‘Do you want to do an online brand experience? They can be interesting…’ but it took on a life of its own and became its own thing, and actually did end up saving the company. We did get a lot of work through it, and it made its own money, so we came out of lockdown much stronger than when we went into it. Photo: SWAMP Following that, we did The Drop, our second show, for two reasons. One was to re-establish ourselves as a live company. Having gone into lockdown as a theatre company and come out as a digital experience company, we needed to reset everyone's understanding of what we did, but also we were starting to realise at that point that independent shows were not only artistically nourishing but also the best new business tool you could ask for. Potential clients would happily come; they'd happily take a free ticket to this show, especially when it turned out to be quite good and the press liked it. So now we kind of exist on this cycle. The brand experience work is the vast majority of our income, and the originals, as we call them now, are not the vast majority of our income, but they serve their own purpose in terms of our artistic integrity, in terms of a new business tool, in terms of being a creative agency that actually puts its creative on its sleeve, and that puts its money where its mouth is and makes its own shows on the side, so that's why we do both. Video: SWAMP IR: You mentioned that transition came about largely during the pandemic off the back of Isklander. For others working in immersive that want to do the same thing, do you think there is a viable path following the same model that you did, or do you think it was a perfect storm of doing successful online work during lockdown? Ollie:   I think we probably had all the right tools in place for lockdown to be as successful as it was. I think if you look at us and if you look at increasing numbers of other people who brands are working with, a lot of them come from doing their own stuff, and that's how brands find out about them. It's often that stuff that's better and more heartfelt and more interesting, and like it's a work of passion or organic artistic expression, and that's where I think the strongest connection with an audience is. It makes sense that people who work in the brand experience space go to things like that and think that's what I want my audience to feel. Also, we made Plymouth Point on nothing. Something we keep trying to do is remember we made that show on nothing. There are ways to make something interesting within a budget; you don't need a brand experience budget to make something that makes you feel. IR: Finally, one thing that I've always found interesting about SWAMP’s work, whether it’s branded or original production, is that you've never repeated an idea. With every new show, you completely reset. Is that coming from a place of just not wanting to repeat yourself, or are you trying to expand your scope so that in the future you have a wide-ranging set of tools to pull from? Ollie: Yeah, I think the business sense would say it's not the right thing to do, because we find a formula that works and then immediately throw it away and start something new, but I do think it comes from a genuine interest in trying new things. New stories and ideas come to us, and we want to just get into them in different ways. We like to stay creatively motivated and creatively interested, and it in itself has become a bit of a self-fulfilling prophecy. Now we've done however many originals that are completely different from each other, it keeps the impetus on us to make sure the next original IP is something brand new and different again, and we have an idea, which again is a completely new format… Photo: SWAMP For more information on SWAMP, visit swampexperience.com . This interview is part of Immersive Rumours' coverage of the World Experience Summit and London Experience Week 2025, which has been made possible thanks to the World Experience Organization .

As the platypus-loving town of Phantom Peak prepares to open its door for the ninth season of its ever-evolving story, we speak to Creative Director Nick Moran about the past, present and future of the open-world immersive experience. Phantom Peak's Starlit Summer. Photo: Phantom Peak Immersive Rumours: Hi Nick! Thanks for speaking with us today. Phantom Peak's new season opens in a few days time, and with it the show will have had 100 total trails since first launching. If you think back to the opening season of Phantom Peak, at the time did you envisage the show hitting a milestone like that? Nick Moran: I think when we started Phantom Peak, we had an idea of what we wanted to do. We knew where we wanted to go, we knew the overall ending of where Phantom Peak was going to get to. I've always known that from the beginning. I was very confident that the trails system - which is kind of Phantom Peak's thing - would be something people would enjoy. But how we did them and how we do the show in seasons, that was something we learned as we went along. If you'd said to me that we'd do 100 trails back then, I think I would have felt quite unwell, considering how much effort it was to get those first 16 up. Looking back now, they feel quite rudimentary. The trails are much more sophisticated now overall in terms of what they do, how people experience them, the things we use and the content involved. That first season was as much of a learning experience for us as for anyone else. IR: How has planning for Starlit Summer been going? The turnover between seasons is so short this time around you must have to start planning the next one as soon as one opens. Nick: Yeah. This is season nine now, and I would say with each season we get slightly better at planning everything in good time. We knew we had a small amount of changeover time between these two seasons so we have been more organised and I think that's really helped us. The town of Phantom Peak is mostly what it is now and while things do change, there's only so much we can do in that time - we're a temporary venue in London and we can't build a skyscraper, you know? Generally, when a season opens I already know three or four trails that I want to do next season pretty much from the word go, and then the rest emerge when the theme does. It's really just trying to work out what the theme is for the next season and how we make it into good fertile ground for stories that move the town along in a realistic way and feels different but also familiar at the same time. Phantom Peak's Festival of Innovation. Photo: Alistair Veryard IR: Phantom Peak as a town has constantly been evolving season upon season. There’s been multiple expansions and reworks of areas, on top of a string of new inventions being introduced. Why is it so important to keep introducing these changes to the show as part of each new season? Nick: The thing we've always tried to do with new additions to Phantom Peak is that they fill a gap in what we we need, as well as feel different in the way that people interact with them. For me I'm a content guy - I want to make loads of content that people are excited by. The tangibility is so important, so when we're building those machines and inventions that power the experience, it's all about making it so people will smile when they're doing it. People love the Paracryptic mirrors! They love them so much. It's one of those things you don't know at the time. We'll prototype something like that and then we're like, 'Okay, great, it's gonna be unleashed on 1000s of people. So let's see, let's hope it's everything it needs to be'. It's about building something that's robust and exciting as well. Last season the new addition was Klacky. When writing the trails and planning the seasons, we’re always thinking 'It'd be really good if...' and for a long time we really wanted a text input where you could type anything into it, which is so versatile across stories. While it may not be as big or exciting as maybe a new building or something, for us they're big and complicated and takes a lot of manpower and resources. Also, who doesn't love Microsoft Word's Clippy?! We were basically thinking 'What if we make a real Clippy, but it's a dick?'. Every season for us is a question of what can we do that will delight the audience the most with the resources we have. We're a young scrappy startup company - we're not rich - but we're always just trying to think about customer, customer, customer. Phantom Peak's Festival of Innovation. Photo: Alistair Veryard "For me, it's as fun as ever. I think I enjoy coming up with the stories as much as I ever have done. But I think it's consistently the same level of difficulty." IR: The show's first season had 16 trails, but over time you settled on 10 trails (plus a secret one for those who complete them all) being the ideal number for a season. Has it become easier to write them now that number is lower, or has the added complexity made it harder? Nick: The trails are much harder, much more difficult to write now. In season one, there was no real bar for how they should be and every single trail was a new articulation of the world's story. That was exciting enough from our perspective to keep us motivated, but now I'm always like 'Hey, I'm going to tell a story about Perigate this season. What do I want to say that's new about Perigate that I'm excited about? What do I want to say that we've not done before with Perigate?'. For me, it's as fun as ever. I think I enjoy coming up with the stories as much as I ever have done. But I think it's consistently the same level of difficulty since the summer of last year which is probably when we started to hit our stride on how we want to put together the trails. Phantom Peak's Wintermas. Photos: Alistair Veryard IR: You've also shared with us in the past that you'll write several more trails for a season than what ends up in the final show. Can you explain the process of coming up with each season's storylines? Nick: The process is actually really simple. We come up with trails for every character - probably five to eight different ideas for everyone, and then we'll whittle down to the best few. It's a process of elimination, so there's always more ideas. They don't always get written up as full trails, but they'll get quite far along, some of them. In most seasons there's a trail which doesn't work and then it's thrown out probably two weeks ahead of opening. A new trail will come in and basically replace it, because there's always just one that doesn't quite work, and I'm not having people have a bad experience. I'm a perfectionist, so for me, they wouldn't have gone into the show if they didn't work, and they weren't great. I think a couple trails each season, in my opinion, really smash it out of the park. We're always trying to one-up ourselves and write the best thing we can. IR: Which trails from Festival of Innovation were stand-outs for you? Nick: I really liked Some Body to Love - the Halloway trail that involved Jonas. Also, The Last Laugh and Sweet Disposition were my favourites, but it's also a question of personal favourites more than anything else. Oh, and The Very Best! It's great, it's fantastic and had some amazing moments in. Phantom Peak's Festival of Innovation. Photo: Alistair Veryard "Phantom Peak at its heart has a comedy bent to it. Comedy is such an important part of the world - it's got to be funny." IR: The Very Best was our favourite from last season. The title sequence and physical trading cards were such a great parody of Pokemon. You've done a string of trails that parody pop culture in previous seasons, are there any trails in Starlit Summer that do the same? Nick: Well, Phantom Peak has always been culturally literate right from the beginning. I think it's about finding something that we find exciting enough to use as a fun hook for a story. You'll be pleased to know that we're doing our first-ever sequel trail. We've never done one of those before, but we're doing a second Monstermon trail because people loved it so much. We always want it to feel like something where people are in on the joke if there are jokes. That it's exciting, that it's relevant, that it's fresh, that it's frothy and funny. Phantom Peak at its heart has a comedy bent to it. Comedy is such an important part of the world of Phantom Peak - it's got to be funny. And drawing on those things that we find funny is very, very important. Phantom Peak's Wintermas. Photo: Alistair Veryard IR: When writing new trails, how do you balance making them satisfying for new guests, but also rewarding for those who have visited Phantom Peak many times and are more clued up on the lore and backstory of the town? Nick: The most important thing is to focus on a good story. If you focus on a good story that is about a character in a situation with a motive, with stakes that you care about, with a journey that you care about, and people understand what's going on from the beginning, then it shouldn't matter whether it's your first time or your final time. The secret trail is always our opportunity to tell something which is very context-heavy. We need context for the deeper fans - that's always the way that I consider that. As for the rest of it, for example, if we do a trail on Dr. Furbish, I'm going to go out of my way to make sure we get something on Dr. Furbish early in the trail, which explains who he is in a different way to how we've done it before. We've got to make sure that someone who's visiting for the first time will have an introduction to it. For me, it's always about making sure that everyone is always reintroduced, but also, I like long-running TV shows, I like long-running things. I can't be assumed to be studying up on it all the time and having a memory of that. Just a little refresher sometimes is needed within that. As long as we make the story good, it's always compelling. With a good hook at the beginning, it's fun and exciting. It takes people on the journey and makes every step clear and accessible and digestible, then no matter who you are, it should be an exciting place to be and an exciting adventure to be on. Phantom Peak's Hallowed Peak. Photos: Alistair Veryard IR: Given you're now over 300 performances into Phantom Peak, and there are breaks between seasons where you can make changes in ways other shows are maybe less able to do, how much of your decision-making for the show is based on audience feedback? Nick:  In terms of the stories, it's always what we think is best. We can't think about what people would want otherwise you end up working in a fan service-y way, and that's probably not healthy for anyone. What people want for the characters is not necessarily what's best for the stories. We're trying to do the best we can without pandering, but also staying core to our values of what we think are the right stories to tell and move the overarching grand plan of where Phantom Peak is going and what the overall story is at the same time. In terms of the experience as a whole, we're very, very customer-focused. We really, really try and make it something that answers to peoples need. For example, the closing ceremony was created because people said 'Wouldn't it be nice if the show had an ending?' And we're like, 'Okay, we'll give you a closing ceremony'. People said 'Wouldn't it be nice if there was something more puzzle-related?' so we did The Innovation Games. That aspect is for puzzle people, because although the trail may have puzzles within them, puzzles are not the focus. Phantom Peak isn't an escape room, although it has escape room elements in it. It's all about stories, exploration, discovery, adventure, characters, situations, motive, and storytelling. We're always trying to work out what we think the customers want from the feedback. Especially on the food and the drinks, we've always been listening, trying to get better and better. The evolution of the food in Phantom Peak is as much of a thing that we've cared about as anything else. People said they wanted slightly more elaborate, more fancy, Instagrammable cocktails. If that's what you want, that's what we'll give you. Video: Phantom Peak IR: There’s been talk of Phantom Peak expanding to other cities besides London in the future. Is there any news on the potential opening of a USA-based experience? Nick: We'd love to launch Phantom Peak elsewhere. We're still in the process of raising investment for it, so that's the big question. Hopefully something on that front will happen soon. We're looking at venues across the United States. I'm not going to toot our horn on this because it sounds arrogant, but we're currently by some metrics one of London's best experience now which is really exciting. We'd love to take it to other places around the world and expand the world of Phantom Peak. There's so much more that we can do with Phantom Peak - Jonas has his terrible, amazing plans for the universe. Jonas has infinite ambitions let's just say.... Phantom Peak's Festival of Innovation. Photos: Alistair Veryard IR: If you had to sum up your goal with Phantom Peak in a few words, what would it be? Nick: We're really trying to build a world that people can come to and explore, and have adventures. That's what we're trying to do with Phantom Peak, we're trying to make a true other-world experience. That's always been the goal - it's about building a world and a place that people can feel comfortable in, feel excited about, and somewhere they can feel at home and grow with over time. Phantom Peak's Starlit Summer season begins on 21st June and will run throughout the summer in Canada Water. To find out more about the show and to book tickets, visit phantompeak.com

This article is part of Immersive Rumours' coverage of WXO's London Experience Week 2025. Inventive Productions is a London-based immersive theatre company that has produced three of the city's most well-known immersive cocktail experiences. Debuting with Alcotraz in 2017, Inventive Productions has since opened Moonshine Saloon and Avora to huge success, with over 1 million visitors having been to one of their productions since launching. Their shows have successfully launched elsewhere in the UK, with versions of Alcotraz now in Manchester, Liverpool, Cardiff, Brighton and Bristol. Recently, the show launched internationally, with a location in Melbourne, Australia. At WXO's London Experience Week 2025, Alcotraz welcomed WXO attendees for a social networking event, and Inventive Production's Founder, Sam Shearman, was part of a panel alongside Phantom Peak's Nick Moran and representatives from You Me Bum Bum Train. Following their talk, we spoke to Sam about how Inventive Productions first came to be, how they approach creating their booze-filled immersive experiences, and what the future holds for the company as it rapidly expands. Alcotraz. Photo: Inventive Productions Immersive Rumours: Hi Sam. Thanks for speaking with us today. Do you mind introducing yourself and telling us a little bit about Inventive Productions? Sam Shearman:   I'm Sam Shearman, the founder of Inventive Productions. We’re an immersive hospitality group with 10 locations across three concepts. We operate Alcotraz, which is a prison-themed immersive experience where guests smuggle their own liquor into the prison and play out a narrative involving prison guards, a corrupt Warden, and inmates looking to escape. We also have Moonshine Saloon, which is a wild western experience that predates Alcotraz – a sort of prequel experience, if you will – where you’re a bootlegger looking to join an illicit moonshine operation. Our most recent concept, which launched in 2022, is Avora, which is inspired by James Cameron's Avatar and the world of Pandora. Guests are transported to this other world where this really fun, super-detailed narrative unfolds for guests. We've had success in expanding nationally, so across those three brands we've now got nine locations in the UK: six are Alcotraz, two are Moonshine Saloon, and currently just the one Avora in London, which is in London. Last year, we opened our first international site in Melbourne, Australia, and Sydney is due to open later this month, which is super exciting. Avora. Photo: Inventive Productions IR: Something that came up during the WXO Summit panel that you were just a part of is that the original idea for Alcotraz came to you while you were a university student. Is that right? Sam:  I was a bit of the cliche of a guy who had an idea and would tell everyone about it. I didn't want to fall into the trap of not being the guy who also tried to do that. I had no background in this industry; my background was in business management. I did a brief stint at Universal Pictures doing new release marketing for them. I was also on a graduate scheme at Mondelez International, which is the corporate powerhouse behind Cadbury, Oreo and Kenco, where I worked across sales, account management and marketing roles. The idea for Alcotraz came to me from a few different angles. One was a genuine passion and love for the themed spaces that were starting to appear back in 2015-2016. Speakeasy bars were just coming around, but there wasn't a huge amount. There were a couple where you'd have to do a few knocks on the door, or you'd enter through a fridge door or something like that, but the level of immersion really stopped at the decor and at the intake. That always frustrated me as a fan of highly deep-themed experiences and theme parks. I always thought it was a missed opportunity not to have a narrative go through it, allowing you as the customer to be immersed from the start to the end, and that really frustrated me as a 24-year-old going to those sorts of venues at that time. I thought there was a gap there to create something that took that level of theming, that level of immersion, to a new height that hadn't been done in London before at the time. Alcotraz. Photo: Inventive Productions The second driver behind Alcotraz was a bit of a love-hate relationship with cocktail bars. I always found it frustrating having to give up a large chunk of a booking I had, trying to dissect complicated menus and figure out what's in there when really, myself and whoever I was there with probably wanted to catch up with each other. I thought there was a real beauty in a concept where the power was put in the hands of the expert – the mixologist – and you could say, ‘Hey, look, I really like this; I really like that’ and they could craft something that ticked those boxes, was a bit more creative, added a few variations and created something different there. The final element really was just the fantasy of true crime, the prison genre, and I thought that these three elements could combine, and that was the genesis of Alcotraz. It could tick a box that hadn't been ticked before with regards to theming; it could be a new cocktail solution where the power is in the hands of the mixologist, and it is a highly themed, highly rich experience that has storylines that would appeal to fans of The Shawshank Redemption or Orange Is The New Black and so on. Alcotraz. Photo: Inventive Productions IR: If you were to ask someone in London if they knew of an immersive cocktail bar, I think the odds are pretty high that their first answer would be to name one of your three shows. They’ve been tremendously successful and are really well-known amongst people in the city, right? Sam : Yeah. I'd say we've managed to gain a bit of a reputation as the experimental cocktail guys, and again, it's been a bit of a perfect storm with immersive theatre being on an upward trajectory. At the same time, competitive socialising has also gone through that same upward trajectory. There’s been a genuine culture shift in people's expectations of going to a pub, bar, or restaurant and expecting more. I think we satisfied that demand for wanting more at a time when people had other options. We’ve managed to find our niche within that world, but from the point of view of getting a really good story, you're going to get theatre, and you're going to get high-quality cocktails. I think that's where we found a really good lane that exists within the wider hospitality space. Moonshine Saloon. Photo: Inventive Productions IR: The theming of all three shows are pretty distinct from one another, and while they’re not based on pre-existing IPs, they use the tropes and iconography of things people are familiar with – prisons, westerns and sci-fi. There must be a lot of other genres that you've considered for future shows, right? Sam:  Yeah. To answer the first part of the question, whilst inspired by popular films and TV shows, we have created our own worlds within our experiences and even have our own little interconnections between the storylines. There is no affiliation, reference or connection to any existing IP, as it is all our own creation, which is something we are very proud of. It's really important to pick, in terms of theming, something that has a fan base or a preconception about it. That's where the beauty of new concepts could be, but the sky's the limit, and the model works. Our format of being very intimate shows, where you, as a guest, get very close contact with an actor, is not done in many of these experiences because often they have a much higher throughput of guests. Ours are very intimate by design, which means nine times out of ten, the actor's going to know your name, and you're going to know the character’s name by the end of it. That allows this great shared camaraderie to exist between you and a small group as an audience, which I think delivers something unique compared to some of the much larger experiences out there. That can be translated to different themes and different concepts. As for which ones will be successful? If I had a crystal ball that could tell me, that would be amazing. Avora. Photo: Inventive Productions IR: What do your future plans look like for the company? Have you got any new shows on the way, or is your focus on expanding the shows that already exist into new territories? Sam:  It’s a bit of both. We’re definitely trying to navigate which cities globally have the demand and the appetite for our immersive experiences and taking the existing IP that we've created and opening them in the right cities. That's one half of the trajectory over the next two to four years. London remains a unicorn from the point of view that it has the highest throughput of experiences happening, the highest throughput of guests that are attracted to them, and therefore we're going to continue to use London as our hotbed to create new concepts.  We've got some really exciting ones coming. One centred more within a fantasy world, which we're super excited about. There’s a huge fan base that we're looking to attract who will be fans of that genre in general, and then another concept is a format shift in trying to differentiate from what we've previously done. A lot of our experiences so far and in a lot of other experiences, the characters are so obviously signposted. What I mean by that is the Guard at Alcotraz, they’re the actor; they’re who you’re going to speak to. The same goes for the scientist at Avora; they're wearing the costume; you know it's the actor. These characters are, by design, exaggerated and over the top. I think there's a really nice new territory to play within that I haven't seen done that many times on our scale, where the lines between the guest and the actor can be way more blurred. Instead of having over-the-top characters, over-the-top costumes and accents, there's a story that can be born from the idea of who can I trust, who is involved in this experience and who is not involved. You might be sitting with a couple that you think are going through this for the first time with you, but they reveal themselves in the final moment as being a part of this massive conspiracy. There's a lot to unpack there and to be revealed, but I feel like that’s a new territory for us to play within. Moonshine Saloon. Photo: Inventive Productions For more information and to book tickets for Alcotraz, Avora and Moonshine Saloon, visit their respective websites, which are linked below. alcotraz.co.uk avora-experience.co.uk moonshinesaloon.com This interview is part of Immersive Rumours' coverage of the World Experience Summit and London Experience Week 2025, which has been made possible thanks to the World Experience Organization .

From serving time behind bars, to out-of-this-world journey to other planets, London has no shortage of great immersive cocktail experiences. Here's our pick of the five best on offer in the capital this year. Being immersed is often thirsty work... so we recently set ourselves the challenge of trying out some of the biggest and best immersive cocktail experiences that London has to offer. It goes without saying that this was a very rigorous undertaking and the fifteen or so cocktails we've had over the last few weeks were purely for research purposes. We took no pleasure in drinking them, even if they were all delicious... Avora: A New World Immersive Experience Photo: Avora The biggest name in London immersive cocktail experiences, Inventive Productions, has three unique immersive cocktail experiences in the city. Their latest is Avora, which promises guests an out-of-this-world adventure on a far-off planet. Based in Hoxton, this 1 hour 45 minute long experience is the most visually stunning of their shows. Set across three main spaces in their basement venue, it's taken a healthy amount of inspiration from the Avatar film series, and is the closest thing you can get to visiting Pandora this side of the Atlantic. Guests are all given a jumpsuit upon arrival that's embroidered with the logo of Roscorp - a tech conglomerate they'll be acting on behalf of during their journey. We'll leave it up to you to decide if Roscorp's true intentions for exploring far-off planets are noble or nefarious (spoilers: they're not good..), but you're there in good faith, acting as scientists on a fact-finding expedition. Starting in the Roscorp laboratory, there's a bit of hands-on mixology as you mix various test tube liquids to create your first cocktail, which billows smoke once combined. Later in the experience, you come face-to-face with the native Avorans who take a real interest in your lives back on Earth. Intent on learning all they can from their new human visitors, you may find yourself trying to explain the most basic of human concepts to them with mixed results. These interactions are all infused with humour and playfulness, and are the stand-out part of the show. Without spoiling what unfolds in the latter half of Avora, the new equilibrium with the Avorans and Humans being on good terms is short-lived, and you're soon confronted with Roscorp's true reasoning behind these expeditions to the luminous planet. There are 3 cocktails included in the price, and unlike Inventive Production's other two experiences in this list, there's no need to bring your own spirits. Photo: Avora Avora is a first of its kind cocktail adventure where guests can discover a brand-new world engulfed in mystery and wonder, brought to life through awe-inspiring theatrical sets, unique cocktails and a cast of talented actors. Step through the newly discovered gateway into the magical world of Avora! Meet with locals and explore the world to discover three extraordinary cocktails you will enjoy. Watch in awe as the world turns from day to night, and witness the mysterious and magical beauty of the lush new land. Be prepared, things are not what they seem, and you will have to make a decision on the fate of the world! Will you look to exploit it or will you help protect Avora! Photos: Avora 📍 Hoxton 💰 From £40.00 🕒 Ongoing 🎟️ Book via avora-experience.co.uk Moonshine Saloon: Immersive Wild West Experience Photo: Moonshine Saloon It's 1904 in the town of Coldwater. The sun is setting on the glory days of the Wild West, and everyone's attention has turned to what is next for those trying to achieve the American Dream. Within the confines of Moonshine Saloon, tensions are high between the Cassidy family and the local law enforcement. It's a year to the day since the Saloon's previous owner was gunned down in cold blood, and the Cassidy family are still looking for answers. You've been invited by Clyde Cassidy, who is looking to expand their moonshine business nationwide. Though their wife isn't best pleased with the fact Clyde has been operating this clandestine operation out the back of the bar, business appears to be booming, and you're there to ink a deal and get in on the action. Across this 1 hour 45 minute experience, numerous scenes play out both in the main Saloon and several hidden spaces within the Saloon. It's the classic story of the outlaw and local law enforcement butting heads, complete with shootouts and plenty of raised voices. Guests are kitted out with cowboy hats and ponchos upon entering, and their choice of spirits (which need to be brought with them to the venue) is incorporated into four cocktails across the show. Those looking to be slightly more involved in the narrative can purchase option character add-ons, including becoming The Mayor, Deputy Sheriff or Brothel Keeper. Ideal for the outgoing types, they'll be called on throughout the show to add an extra layer of interaction. For our visit, the Mayor had to deliver a series of campaign pledges to ensure their re-election. Photo: Moonshine Saloon Howdy, y’all! Behind the swinging doors of the Moonshine Saloon, new outlaws can rub shoulders with the locals, try their luck at cards or dice games and enjoy a barrel load of illicit drinks. Just be sure to keep yourself quiet if the Sheriff is in town and asks any questions… he’s come close to catching Cassidy before! Photos: Moonshine Saloon 📍 Liverpool Street 💰 From £37.00 🕒 Ongoing 🎟️ Book via moonshinesaloon.com Alcotraz: Immersive Prison Cocktail Bar Photo: Alcotraz Likely the most well-known of Inventive Production's immersive cocktail experiences, Alcotraz has been a mainstay of the London immersive experience scene since 2017. Guests are invited to don orange jumpsuits before serving them time in this underground prison-themed bar, which will see them play a part in a rebellion against the venue's Warden, who has a firm dislike for all things alcoholic. Upon entering, you're placed in a holding cell while you await processing. Soon, you're led through a metal detector and handed your orange jumpsuit - a staple of the experience since its inception. Alcotraz operates as a BYOB venue, so your first task is sneaking your spirits into the cells without arousing suspicion - something that's made a lot easier thanks to the hollowed-out Bible you're handed by one of the prison's crooked guards. Once inside your cell, there are 4 cocktails prepared for you with the spirits you smuggled in across the 1-hour 45-minute long experience. The wider story that plays out around you is a power struggle between Cassidy, one of the inmates whose parole has just been denied, and the Warden, who is hell-bent on maintaining order within Alcotraz. There's a good amount of interaction with Cassidy, the Warden and the guards throughout the experience, who will all keep you occupied with a variety of tasks. We found ourselves folding laundry at one point, which led to us finding a blueprint inside one of the jumpsuits. There are also a couple of short excursions outside your cell, including getting your mugshot taken and, for us, a visit to Cassidy after they're locked in solitary confinement. A potential visit to the Warden's office is also on the cards to plead your innocence or guilt. Photo: Alcotraz Following a life of crime, the law eventually caught up with Mr Clyde Cassidy and his gang of moonshiners and bootleggers. After a decade of running America’s most notorious liquor smuggling empire, their criminal activity eventually led them to life behind bars at the newly established Alcotraz Penitentiary. Most of the details of the Penitentiary remain only in the knowledge of a select few Government Officials, however, what is known is that there are a collection of secret Cell Blocks dotted all over the country, which serve as home to the worst of the worst. Sometimes incarceration can’t change bad habits and the Cassidy gang have managed to turn the Guards of Alcotraz crooked, bribing them to help newly convicted inmates successfully smuggle in liquor past the Warden. Will you join the gang and smuggle liquor behind bars? Photos: Alcotraz 📍 Hoxton 💰 From £39.99 🕒 Ongoing 🎟️ Book via alcotraz.co.uk Phantom Peak's Cocktail Trail Photo: Alistair Veryard Phantom Peak is an immersive experience we've covered extensively on Immersive Rumours over the past three years. With four brand-new seasons on offer each year, it's a show that's constantly developing and changing. Guests can explore the 30,000 sq feet town of Phantom Peak for up to 4 hours at a time, jumping into any of the ten different storylines on offer at their own pace. With a large cast of actors scattered around town, guests can easily end up speaking to a dozen of Phantom Peak's townsfolk in one visit and only scratch the surface of what's on offer here. Alongside the ten main storylines available each season, Phantom Peak also offers a cocktail trail for those willing to put in the steps for their drink. The storyline of these cocktail trails changes each season, but typically they have guests exploring the town to uncover which ingredients make up the final reward for their hard work. Just like with every other storyline at Phantom Peak, these cocktail trails are wonderfully written, irreverent, and with a stellar cast of actors across the town, hugely engaging. Considering the cocktails at Phantom Peak will run you anywhere from £9.50 to £11 each, and with an exclusive cocktail only available to those who take part in the trail, it's good value if you want to indulge in one of them anyway. For the avid Phantom Peak card collectors, there's also a trail card included for those who take part. Photos: Alistair Veryard A brand new cocktail experience, courtesy of JONACO. Explore the town to discover a new story each season, before meeting back at the Thirsty Frontier Saloon to make your own cocktail (or mocktail) to enjoy. 📍 Canada Water 💰 From £35.00 (Show Admission) + £19.99 (Cocktail Experience Add-On) 🕒 Ongoing 🎟️ Book via phantompeak.com Sherlock Holmes: The Case of the Poisoned Chalice Cocktail Experience Behind the doors of the innocuous-looking Doyle's Opticians in Shepherd's Bush sits The Mind Place - a speakeasy bar based on the BBC's Sherlock series. Alongside the two escape rooms that also sit within the space (Sherlock: The Game Is Now and The Mind of Moriarty), The Poisoned Chalice is a cocktail experience that sees you solving a series of puzzles as part of a test from Sebastian Moran - Moriarty's right-hand man. Perfect for those who like to drink and deduce, the experience takes roughly 90 minutes, though you can move at your own pace if desired. Alongside the cocktail you'll unlock and create by solving puzzles, a welcome drink is included. Photo: Nic Crilly-Hargrave Discover the secrets of this Sherlock speakeasy by solving a test set to you by Sebastian Moran, Moriarty’s right-hand man. Sebastian has brought you here to test you. Can you defeat his maniacal mind and make the perfect cocktail? The Poisoned Chalice Cocktail Experience brings together the excitement of a mystery with the joy of a cocktail. Enjoy the thrill of solving the case and the pleasure of creating your own cocktail. Photos: Nic Crilly-Hargrave 📍 Shepherds Bush 💰 From £35.00 🕒 Ongoing 🎟️ Book via thegameisnow.com For the latest news and updates on all things immersive in London, follow us on Instagram .

Sage & Jester has announced a programme of events to run in conjunction with their upcoming immersive show, STOREHOUSE. Designed to spark critical conversations around misinformation, identity and digital truth, the season will feature partnerships with SXSW and Intelligence Squared, as well as collaborations with renowned artists and creators, including Stephen Fry. Photo: David Levene VOCALIZE (22nd May – 1st June) is a provocative new interactive installation that will premiere at Hay Festival, inviting audiences to confront one of the most urgent questions of our time: what happens when your voice is no longer your own? Visitors will step into a soundproof booth and enter the fictional world of the Vocalize Talent Agency, where they take part in an interactive voiceover training session led by Sir Stephen Fry’s AI clone. Guided by his vocal double, participants will record their own professional voice reel - until the experience takes an unexpected turn.  Sir Stephen Fry comments: VOCALIZE is a brilliant fusion of art and entertainment, revealing both the wonders and pitfalls of AI. As this technology shapes our future, it urges us to pause, reflect, and question: where are we heading, and who gets to decide? Produced by Indigo Storm and conceived by award-winning artists Francesca Panetta, Shehani Fernando, and Halsey Burgund, VOCALIZE invites audiences to engage directly with AI-driven voice cloning. Through its interactive format, the installation aims to spark critical thinking about how AI could impact everything from entertainment to misinformation. The creators of VOCALIZE comment: We wanted audiences to feel what manipulation truly means. When the viewer becomes the protagonist, the boundary between truth and fabrication starts to dissolve - and that shift becomes deeply personal. As artists, we're drawn to exploring AI not only to unlock its creative potential but also to confront the risks and ethical dilemmas it presents. Image: Sage & Jester Across 15th - 25th May 2025, Sage & Jester will unveil a prelude to their upcoming show with an immersive pop-up experience across London. Offering a roaming portal into the unexpected, the Storehouse Truck will share the first glimpses of the production, which debuts this June. Prepare for intrigue, illusion, and a world where reality bends at the edges, as the truck journeys through London’s most vibrant corners, including South Bank and Camden Market.  The Storehouse Truck will then find its home at SXSW London in Shoreditch for a week-long residency. Sage & Jester was proud to be announced last week as an official brand partner at SXSW's inaugural European event, and a curated panel is due to be announced soon.  Photo: Laura Lewis Founder of Sage & Jester, Liana Patarkatsishvili, comments: We're thrilled to partner with London's inaugural SXSW, a hub of creativity and innovation. As an impact-led arts organisation, Sage & Jester aims to uncover manipulation and misinformation. We're not just storytellers; we’re catalysts for a more informed society. Our values align perfectly with SXSW, and we're excited to reveal more about our debut production, STOREHOUSE, and upcoming events. On Wednesday 30th April, a fast-paced new virtual game show, CUT THE BS , will be hosted by Capital FM presenter and online creator Niall Gray. In this lively TikTok series, special guests will be challenged to see if they can spot lies, fakes or perhaps they are switched on to the world of misinformation. As online audiences call out media manipulation in real time, Sage & Jester aims to empower and educate viewers through the series. Image: Sage & Jester Finally, as part of the wider programme, Critical Conversations , a trio of live talks in partnership with Intelligence Squared will dig deeper into today’s most pressing misinformation themes at The Pleasance Theatre in Holloway. On 13th May, Tricks, Trolls, and LOLs: Comedy’s Crash Course in Spotting Lies sees BAFTA-nominated comedian Rachel Parris ( Late Night Mash ) unpack how humour can dismantle falsehoods and expose the absurdity of disinformation. On 19th May, Truth Hurts: From Conflict to Connection with author and extremism expert Dr Julia Ebner, will explore how polarised media is fuelling everyday division—and how to engage more constructively. Finally, on 20th May, Sage & Jester teams up with Intelligence Squared for How To Cure Your Algorithm, with Jamie Bartlett ( The People Vs Tech ) leading a vital discussion on digital manipulation and how to reclaim control of your online narrative. Founded in 2024, Sage & Jester is an arts production company on a mission: to entertain and empower through bold, immersive, socially urgent work. From theatre to festivals, live talks to TikTok, Sage & Jester creates experiences that strive to get people thinking. Their debut production, STOREHOUSE, opens this June in a 9,000-square-metre underworld in Deptford, London. STOREHOUSE runs from 4th June to 20th September at Deptford Storehouse. Tickets are priced from £27.50. For more information and to book tickets, visit sageandjester.com

When Muddled Marauders' Vegetables was first announced to run at a secret location in Clerkenwell last year, mystery surrounded the show’s content. Those who did attend stepped into a dark comedy that focused on an exiled scientist’s experiments to cure all manner of physical ailments by uploading people's consciousness into root vegetables. It was a bizarre and surreal show that defied expectations and was one of the most talked-about immersive shows of the summer, garnering strong word-of-mouth and a string of positive reviews. Recently, we sat down with Nathan Ess, the brains behind Muddled Marauders, for their first-ever interview to discuss how the company came to be, how his unconventional beginnings creating immersive off-grid parties led to the creation of Vegetables, and what's next for the company. Photo: Muddled Marauders Immersive Rumours: Hi Nathan, thanks for sitting down with us today. Let’s kick things off by discussing the origins of Muddled Marauders and your history of putting on interactive and immersive events. It was quite a unique entry into the immersive world for you, right? Nathan Ess: Yeah. A lot of it started with experimentation in rave culture. A friend of mine lived in a tower block in Plaistow, and one year I convinced him to let me throw a New Year's Eve party on its rooftop. It went unexpectedly well; something clicked, and I wanted to see if it had legs. After a few small things gained traction, I started Muddled Marauders with a forest party in Wick Woodland. Everything was sorted, but we arrived there too early, and a police helicopter spotted us. The Park Rangers told us it would get shut down before we started. So it was 7pm, the evening of our first proper event, loads of people getting ready to join us, and we didn't have a clue where we were going to do it. Muddled Marauders 001 in Walthamstow Marshes Photo: Muddled Marauders My friend Lucy and I were biking around North East London, frantically trying to pull it out of the bag. At around 9pm, she called me saying, ‘I’ve found somewhere’. There was this secret forest spot in Walthamstow Marshes, just north of Clapton. By 10 pm, we were setting up. By 11pm, we texted everyone the address. Come midnight, 400 people had arrived, with the party going until 11am. The thrill of it all was instantly addictive. From there, things progressed quite quickly. I think our risky approach to sourcing spaces people hadn't been to before, as well as the playfulness of the design and the music, made it catch on quite quickly. IR: A lot of these experiences are undocumented, and you can’t find much about them online. There is mention of one event you did that involved a huge tunnel maze in the middle of a forest. Can you tell us about that? Nathan:   Yeah. A couple of years deep, we were commissioned by a festival. Up until then, everything we’d done had been in London, but this was for a small festival in Grimsby. In order to help them sell tickets, we were given a bit of money to build something and entice our crowd up there. As well as building a stage, we built an 800-metre-long maze with 14 immersive scenes themed around a narrative of relationships and sexual anxiety called The Corridor of Uncertainty. It was actually based on a really shit drawing I’d done a couple of years earlier... The Corridor of Uncertainty Photo: Nathan Ess The maze only opened for 2 hours, right in the middle of the second night. It was designed for people to get completely lost in, with 3-metre-high walls built from poles and thick black sheeting. You’d go around in circles and might be walking for 5 minutes before you’d end up in an STI clinic being told you’ve contracted a rare infection. Turn a corner and you're apologising to all your exes. One doesn't care and still loves you; the next is calling you a prick and hitting you violently. A scene within the maze Photo: Muddled Marauders You’d be wandering again and enter a surreal restaurant with tiny tables ready for your first date - the whole thing was designed to be really awkward. Couples therapy was one of the best bits. All of it within the context of the maze, along with the hysteria of the night, had this punchy impact that resonated a lot with people. IR: It seems like you were doing your own version of a You Me Bum Bum Train experience… Nathan:  I think Bum Bum Train is the best in the business, and their production is essentially a giant maze. I strongly believe that the more labyrinthine the structure, the more the participants will get enveloped in whatever experience they are going through. Being isolated from other people you know during an experience also heightens it 10 times over. I wouldn’t personally compare what I’ve done to YMBBT, given how big and good they are, but we share views on what creates impact. Set builders working on the entrance to the 800-metre long maze Photo: Muddled Marauders IR: Are there any other events you created around that time that stick out? Nathan: 'Never Have We Ever', which was in a huge abandoned school in Poplar, sticks out. There was also one in an empty hotel and another in a care home, which were pretty memorable. The best one we did was in three internally conjoined mansions in Islington. We commissioned and gave individual rooms to people with different ideas they had pitched, which they then brought to life. This created a fusion between festival, immersive experience and party - but with a distinctly debauched, underground London feeling. It was so big and mazy that we gave people an A3 map when they arrived to help them navigate it. I remember it being incredibly difficult to figure out how to leave, and often people just gave up trying. It went on for two days and was a real melting pot of the different cultures existing in London at that time. It also birthed Burt - a fictional Head of Promotions for Muddled Marauders who hates his job, which we made using stop-motion animation. Burt became a staple of the brand. Video: Muddled Marauders I think we reached the limit of how far we could push the format within the constraints of off-grid events with that particular production. Due to them being unlicensed events and the fact that the majority of the buildings we’d acquired were squatted, the amount of time and financial investment that would go into them wasn’t sustainable when there was always the risk of the police shutting it down before it started and not being able to make any of that money back, even if we were lucky that this only happened once. IR: One of the things I imagine you took away from creating all of those off-grid shows was the ability to make something out of nothing and overcoming unexpected problems. Would you say that was a good training ground for where you are now? Nathan: Yeah, they were pretty hardcore, and we constantly felt like we were trying to achieve something impossible. It needed pretty militant production skills, all the while trying to retain the focus on developing a fluffy and mysterious identity with actors and storylines. We've always had a strong team; Muddled Marauders stalwarts such as Joe Brann and James Phillips (Ariel Bold) have worked on pretty much everything, alongside an always massive crew that bring it all together. It makes unexpected problems much easier to overcome when you have a load of ride-or-die partners. Preparations for a party in an abandoned school in Poplar Photo: Muddled Marauders IR: When did the idea for Vegetables first come to you? Nathan: At a certain point, I got burnt out, so I moved to Sicily for about 8 months, living on a farm where I fed chickens. While out there, I started writing some scripts and concepts to form the basis of a transition into pure immersive theatre, and Vegetables was one of them. I finished the first draft and spoke to this Brixton-based company called BOSI, who suggested applying for Arts Council DYCP [ Develop Your Creative Practice ] funding, which was successful. I started refining Vegetables with Dan Wye - a drag performer (Séayoncé), stand-up comic and dramaturg. He was brutally honest, and it was such a steep learning curve. We completely rejigged it all, and I'd say he categorically made me a much better writer. Tom Duthie also really helped with the final edit of the script once we got the main project grant from ACE. IR: For those who didn’t attend Vegetables, how would you describe it? Nathan: It was a really dark comedy set within the underground tunnels of an old fire station in Central London. I don’t particularly enjoy describing the story itself, but the aim was to create something that people didn’t realise was theatre - let alone a comedy - until well into the experience. Lots of people knew they were coming to some kind of show, but many didn’t (including my mother), and the team and I took great pleasure in fucking with people’s expectations with the help of the incredible actors and design team led by Ellie Koslowsky (who was nominated at the Stage Debut Awards for Vegetables). 11 people could experience it per show. In terms of influences, Charlie Kaufman, Julia Davis, and Black Mirror were the primary ones. Ultimately I wanted it to be unhinged, subversive and well executed. Vegetables Photo: Muddled Marauders IR: There was also a community outreach aspect to the show that I think people might not be aware of. Can you tell us about that? Nathan:   Yeah. The venue, which was an old fire station in Clerkenwell, was previously occupied by the Museum of Homelessness  and The Outside Project , which offers shelter for LGBTQI+ people with lived experience of homelessness in London. We had an outreach strategy led by our producer and Museum of Homelessness founding member, B.Lain, and we allocated a third of the tickets to that community. The idea was to create a show that this community felt empowered to go to. A lot of communities don’t feel like the traditional, or even mainstream immersive theatre world is accessible, so by doing it in that space, it allowed us to flip that a bit. We also had workshops as part of the show at the Old Diorama on set design, acting, and sound design, and the products of those workshops were integrated into the show itself. The attendees of all those workshops had lived experience of homelessness. Clerkenwell Fire Station, the former home of Museum of Homelessness and The Outside Project Photo: Muddled Marauders IR: When Vegetables was first announced, there was real secrecy around it. By and large within immersive theatre, especially post-COVID, that seems to have been left behind as it feels more financially risky. Where did the desire to be secretive about what the show's content and story come from? Nathan: You only really get those hairs that stand up on your neck when you go into something a bit blind or when there are surprises. Whether that’s achieved or not, I'd rather prioritise the experiences of those who are willing to take a chance on something than put out a trailer that puts a wet flannel on it all just to appease incurious people. This isn’t to say that I don’t believe in marketing or an online presence. I love the science of marketing; I just prefer having fun with it and using it to add to the world of the production, like with Burt. For Vegetables, the Clerkenwell Bio Botanics  website we used to entice people to the show   took a serious amount of time to plan and build, but it worked despite at no point revealing it was secretly drawing people into a theatre show. I’m interested in pushing this side of things further. Vegetables Photo: Annie Tobin IR: In the last year, we've seen a few crowdfunders launched for various immersive shows, which reflects the fact that, obviously, getting funding for any theatre project is hard at the moment. If people are in a similar position to you and are looking to secure Arts Council funding, what advice would you give? Nathan: I think finding the right bid writer is important. I worked with an incredible bid writer and theatre-maker called Rosa Thomas, who was so invested in the project but also knew Arts Council funding applications like the back of her hand. I'm good with formal writing, but I have no doubt that I would not have gotten the funding without her. The first draft should come from you, but definitely do it with someone else. The second thing is to not be overly disheartened by the narrative around Arts Council. Even though there's less funding available overall, there is an impetus for them to fund new, grassroots projects and practitioners. IR: You mentioned earlier doing workshops as part of Vegetables, and you’ve also previously worked with the Museum of Homelessness. Can you tell us a bit about why doing outreach is so important to you and the company? Nathan: We live in a broken society, and we need to look out for each other. As much as I try to keep Muddled Marauders a bit aloof, it's crucial that everything we do is welcoming and approachable to those who are vulnerable, in whatever capacity. Particularly with how much of a shitshow everything is. This has been the case so far, and I’m determined for it to continue. As for the Museum of Homelessness, they're an incredible charity run by activists and creative pioneers, and we're long-term collaborators. They’ve now got a physical museum in Finsbury Park ,  and their second exhibition has just opened. As with last year, we've contributed a recurring fictional pirate radio show called Riot FM to that exhibition. Previously we designed an award-winning immersive show for them called Secret Museum ,  which explored the stories of those who experienced homelessness during the pandemic. We took stories donated to the museum and left clues and installations throughout the streets of Waterloo, culminating in guests finding our physical pop-up museum with live performances of those stories, told verbatim. Secret Museum by Museum of Homeless Photo: Museum of Homelessness IR: Looking to the future, what are you working on now? Nathan: I’m currently on the Senior Production Team for the current iteration of You Me Bum Bum Train . Muddled Marauders has taken a temporary side seat while I've been working on that, but it's been worth it. Next up for Muddled Marauders is our new show, which I am extremely excited about, but that’s all I can say for now. We’re also fundraising for the company's next chapter, as we’re looking to make some chunky steps forward. Find out more about Muddled Marauders at muddledmarauders.co.uk or via their Instagram . You Me Bum Bum Train are currently fundraising for War Child with a prize draw to win tickets to the show, which can be entered here . You can donate to Museum of Homelessness here , and The Outside Project here .

Immersive newcomers Muddled Marauders will forever change how you look at carrots and parsnips with their surreal debut show, Vegetables. Photo: Muddled Marauders Clerkenwell Bio Botanics has opened the doors of its underground research centre to the public for the first time. They're hosting a product showcase of their groundbreaking biophysical work, and are looking for trialists. That's about as much information as was public about Vegetables, the debut immersive theatrical show from Muddled Marauders, until last week when it opened. Wrapped in secrecy since it was first announced in May, the producers have been tight-lipped about exactly what to expect, and for good reason. It's a show with an absolutely absurd premise that is best enjoyed with no prior knowledge of what is to come. Directed by Nathan Ess, the show has received backing from Arts Council England and is inspired by the likes of Julia Davis (creator and star of BBC's Nighty Night and Sky/HBO's Sally4Eva), Charlie Brooker's Black Mirror and writer/director Charlie Kaufman. While this is Muddled Marauders' first immersive theatrical show, they've been operating since 2016 in the underground rave scene and are best known for creating elaborate immersive parties in disused spaces. Photo: Muddled Marauders The show's story revolves around Dr. Angela Hass ( Adie Mueller) , a scientist whose recent breakthrough promises to 'fix you in ways you didn't know you could be fixed'. It's little surprise given the show's title, but it involves vegetables and in the best way possible, is absolutely ludicrous. Audiences are eased into the show first with welcome drinks provided by Dr. Hass' lab assistant Veronica ( Michelle Roberston) and a peek behind the plastic curtains that are scattered throughout their underground research centre. There's dozens of carrots, onions and parsnips floating in jars all over the sprawling hallways of their laboratory, and stems of broccoli hooked up to enough wires and sensors that Hass could probably trace which field they were grown in if desired. Photo: Muddled Marauders Over the show's 90-minute duration, the absurdity of the story ramps up to a comical degree. A scene midway through in which all of the trialists are offered a slice of carrot to eat leads to a moment so surreal we were in danger of choking from how funny it was. Later moments touch upon more serious topics surrounding consent and sexual assault, but they're not the main focus of the show's narrative and are only alluded to briefly. While it's light on the kind of immersive elements that some audience members might expect, there are opportunities for those willing to get involved - though it doesn't lead to much more than some brief improv between the cast and audience. Set across two main rooms, those who attend will also find themselves seated for much of the show's duration. For a first outing into immersive theatre, Muddled Marauders have produced a show that's unique and different to everything else currently playing. They're a company to watch out for in the future and if you're willing to follow them into an undisclosed basement in Clerkenwell, it makes for a hell of a story to tell friends and colleagues about the following day. Photos: Muddled Mauraders ★★★★ Vegetables runs until 23rd June in a secret location in Clerkenwell. To find out more and apply for tickets, visit https://www.clerkenwell-bio-botanics.co.uk

Photo: Netflix This Spring, fans of Netflix’s award-winning South Korean survival drama,  Squid Game , will be plunged into the heart of the drama in the brand-new ‘Squid Game: The Experience’ which will be opening its doors at Immerse LDN at the Excel London Waterfront.   Heading to the UK capital after successful runs in New York, Sydney, Seoul, and Madrid, ‘Squid Game: The Experience’ is presented by Netflix in collaboration with The Luna Entertainment Group and LETSGO.   Photo: Netflix   Perfect for fans of the series and thrill-seekers alike, teams compete for 60 minutes as they take on five challenges inspired by the television series’ nail-biting tasks including ‘Red Light, Green Light’ under the watchful eye of the haunting Young-hee doll, the nerve-wracking Glass Bridge and the intense Marbles game. Photo: Netflix   Once the game is over, players can gather in the Korean-inspired Night Market where they will be able to purchase exclusive ‘Squid Game: The Experience’ merchandise, buy a range of food and snacks and pose for a celebratory photo opportunity to remember the experience. Squid Game: The Experience will open at Immerse LDN this Spring. The waitlist for pre-sale access is open now, ahead of tickets going on general on-sale on 25 April 2025. For more info, and to sign-up for presale, visit squidgameexperienceuk.com

Photo: Jurassic World The Experience Jurassic World: The Experience is set to open this May in Battersea, throwing open the iconic Jurassic World gates to a must-see family-friendly adventure that brings one of the biggest blockbuster franchises in cinema history to life for dinosaur fanatics, big and small. Created by NEON, a global leader in producing experiential entertainment, Jurassic World: The Experience is the inaugural experience at the brand-new NEON at Battersea Power Station visitor space located next to the London landmark.   Photo: Jurassic World The Experience   Jurassic World: The Experience, which returns to London due to phenomenal demand, will be the first of many live entertainment experiences to be staged at the new attraction. Visitors will walk amongst pre-historic giants and get up close and personal with countless different species across two floors of curated Jurassic World immersive environments within this new venue.   Fans of the franchise and audiences of all ages will be immersed in scenes inspired by the beloved films including walking beneath a towering Brachiosaurus, exploring the lab of genetic development, coming face to face with Velociraptor Blue, and even get a rare up-close look at the most vicious dinosaur of them all, the Tyrannosaurus rex. Guests will also be able to interact with baby dinosaurs, discover and engage with actual fossilised dinosaur bones.   Photo: Jurassic World The Experience The opening of Jurassic World: The Experience will coincide with the launch of the highly anticipated film Jurassic World: Rebirth, which opens this July. A 24-hour presale begins on Tuesday 29th April via  Fever , with tickets available on general sale from Wednesday 30th April.   Ron Tan, CEO and Executive Chairman of NEON says: Jurassic World: The Experience is the perfect extension of the popular film franchise, offering the fusion of entertainment, science, and cutting-edge technology, and allowing fans to step into the awe-inspiring Jurassic World like never before. The opening of Jurassic World: The Experience at the iconic Battersea Power Station will mark the first of many world-class IP experiences that NEON will be showcasing in London through our partnerships with leading global studios and partners around the world. Together, we are excited to bring this globally celebrated experience to the heart of London. Photo: Jurassic World The Experience Sam Cotton, Head of Asset Management at Battersea Power Station Development Company, said: We are delighted to be working closely with NEON to bring an exciting new cultural space to Battersea Power Station in the year that Wandsworth has been named the London Borough of Culture. Jurassic World is iconic, making it the perfect first experience to showcase next to this iconic London landmark. We are excited to see Londoners and visitors from further afield enjoy the experience and everything else that Battersea Power Station has to offer. In celebration of this brand new venue opening at Battersea Power Station, NEON will provide 5,000 complimentary tickets to local schools, allowing students to experience the exhibitions firsthand. Additionally, 1,000 free tickets will be offered to local charities, community organisations, and youth groups. Photos: Jurassic World The Experience Jurassic World: The Experience opens at NEON, next to Battersea Power Station, from 23rd May 2025. Tickets start at £22.90, with prices depending on time slot. For more information and to join the waitlist, visit jurassicworldexperience.com/uk

Image: Secret City The Perfect Bite, A Dinner Experience inspired by Rian Johnson's Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery takes a bite out of the captivating and thrilling universe of the Knives Out film series. This immersive and interactive event will have guests on the edge of their seats as they dine together and work to uncover a dark truth. In collaboration with Netflix, Secret City presents a one-of-a-kind murder mystery dinner experience launching for the first time in London. Photo: Secret City As a member of the culinary industry elite, you’re invited to an exclusive event hosted by acclaimed chef Maribelle Moore. Shortly after you arrive, Maribelle shockingly reveals that the menu she’s created for the evening will expose a dark secret about the Salty Six, the renowned culinary supergroup formed when they were students. With the other members of the Salty Six also in attendance, tensions begin to run high, and it isn’t long before a murderer strikes. Photo: Secret City Luckily, one of the world’s best detectives, Logan Locke, a contemporary of the famed detective Benoit Blanc, is on the scene to investigate and help you decipher the clues hidden within Maribelle’s menu. Each course contains vital information, and it’s up to you and your team to sift through the evidence and determine whodunnit. As you feast on food-based puzzles, you’ll unravel the twists and turns to solve this captivating mystery. Photo: Secret City Rally your friends together in your finest threads and experience Gaucho City of London. What was once the historic silver vaults of the Bank of England, is now a superb steak restaurant in London’s historical financial district. Enjoy an elevated 4-course meal while solving a thrilling whodunnit with a live cast of intriguing characters. The Perfect Bite has previously welcomed fans in Toronto and Vancouver, selling out for 3 consecutive months, serving over 3000 guests at the renowned Peter Pan Bistro. Photo: Secret City Secret City is a digital and location-based experience design studio with a multi-disciplinary team that builds digital and IRL experiences rooted in immersive storytelling, game mechanics and user experience design. Secret City blends theatre, gaming, technology and UX design to activate historical sites, museums and dormant spaces for fans who keep coming back. Established in 2014, Secret City has animated some of Toronto’s most notable landmarks: Casa Loma, George Brown House, Old Mill Toronto, The Village at Black Creek, Chinatown and Toronto’s waterfront with over 25 live immersive games, large-scale events and digital products. The Perfect Bite runs from 4th June 2025 at Gaucho City of London near Bank. Tickets are priced from £140 per person. For more information, and to book visit secretcityadventures.com

Described as 'London Fashion Week for Experiences', WXO's Summit and London Experience Week 2025 will bring together industry leaders from around the world for a five-day exchange of ideas later this month. Photo: World Experience Organisation With WXO's (World Experience Organisation) London Experience Week and World Experience Summit 2025 only a few weeks away, details of this year's speakers, talks and event schedule have been announced and will feature talks from some of the people behind Las Vegas' AREA15, Meow Wolf, Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser, Secret Cinema and Punchdrunk. Kicking off the five-day long event on Monday 28th April, a London-wide Experience Safari invites guests to see the inner workings of various immersive and interactive experiences with backstage tours of Titanic: Echos From The Past and Minecraft Experience: Villager Rescue, a tour of L-Acoustic's spatial sound showroom in Highgate and the d&b Immersive Technology Experience Centre at the Science Museum. Video: World Experience Organisation Also on offer is a tour of Old Royal Naval College that dives into the site's extensive history as a filming location for the likes of Bridgerton and Pirates of the Caribbean, as well as two Campfires from Joe Pine (author of The Experience Economy: Competing for Customer Time, Attention, and Money) and Amber Case, who will discuss 'How To Craft Seamless Experiences'. In the evening, London Experience Week invites attendees to the immersive, prison-themed cocktail experience Alcotraz in Hoxton, before a social at Good Hotel London in Royal Victoria Dock. Photo: World Experience Organisation On Tuesday 29th April, the World Experience Organisation Summit will take over the entirety of Phantom Peak for three days of talks, campfires, workshops and networking. Starting things off, there's 'Down The Tunnel' and 'Cross The Threshold' - two experiences produced by George Berlin and Frances Viera Blanc, as well as an address from WXO's CEO James Wallman on the State Of The Experience Economy. From there, attendees will have a choice of events to sit in on from the likes of Sasha Frieze ( The Chief Event Officer's Playbook ), Louis Alfieri ( AI Unleashed: Redefining the Entertainment Ecosystem ), and Maria Redin and Lou Pizante ( Cracking the X-Stack ), all occupying different corners of Phantom Peak's 30,000-square foot venue. There's a range of real-world case studies also set to be discussed throughout the day, including a look at how ITV have previously used experiences from the likes of SWAMP to launch TV shows, with plenty more case studies still TBA. Later in the day, the question Does Everything Have to be Immersive? will be posed to the Summit, before Tim Hill details the 4 Steps to Superfans, and Laura Citron explains Why Cities Need Experiences . Rounding off Day 1 of the World Experience Summit 2025, there's a networking session before the winners of the World Experience Awards are announced. Photo: World Experience Organisation Diving into Wednesday 30th April at Phantom Peak, there's the intriguingly named Immersive Audio Magic Mushroom Experience in the morning, the two-hour long Unconference - which is made up of 12 different sessions spread across the venue, in which any attendee can take the stage to share their knowledge - finishing off the morning. The afternoon welcomes Luke Mitchell and Mike Goldsmith to discuss Boomtown Fair's sprawling, festival-wide immersive elements, and Bristol's iconic venue, Wake The Tiger. Alongside that, a roundtable featuring some of the minds behind Elvis Evolution (Andrew McGuinness), The Traitors Experience (Neil Connolly), ABBA Voyage (Ryan Amstad) and Minecraft Experience (Olivier Goulet) will discuss developing and opening IP-driven experiences in the Town Square. David Shulman will host a workshop on getting Investor Ready, and Tracy Sorgiovanni from Riot Games and Justine Tommey from Major League Baseball are just some of the confirmed names set to be hosting case studies that afternoon. In the evening, the London Experience Night Safari kicks off... Photo: World Experience Organisation Giving attendees the opportunity to head out into the city to see, hear, and feel first-hand everything London's experience economy has to offer, over 20 experiences will open their doors to the WXO community, including Bridge Command, Phantom Peak, ABBA Voyage, Lost Estate's Paradise Under The Stars, Avora, Moonshine Saloon, Bubble Planet, Jury Games and Come Alive! Thursday sees a Live WXO Campfire with James Wallman, the return of the Unconference, Bompas & Parr's Kirsten Wilson and Sam Bompas discussing why F&B Is The Essential Immersive Ingredient , Patrick Flynn and Sermad Buni share how Squid Games: The Trials came to be, and there's a workshop on spatial storytelling from Mel McGowan alongside numerous other talks, workshops and case studies, before a Summit Wrap Party at Immerse LDN. On top of this, the summit will also feature a host of extra content and experiential areas, which will feature surprise pop-ups, across all three days, and there are dozens of additional talks and workshops not mentioned here. Video: World Experience Organisation The finale of London Experience Week on Friday 2nd May features a creative studio visit at Marshmallow Laser Feast, a visit to the opening night of spatial audio festival Polygon Live, exclusive tours of BoraBora at Outernet, and an exclusive LXW backstage tour of Layered Reality's Elvis Evolution, which is set to open this summer. Across the whole of London Experience Week, attendees will also have access to discounts on tickets to a huge range of experiences across the city, including ABBA Voyage, Frameless, Lost Estate's 58th Street and Paradise Under The Stars, Moco Museum, The Paddington Bear Experience, Monopoly Lifesized, Minecraft Experience and Tutankhamun Immersive Experience. Tickets for London Experience Week are on sale now via worldxo.org , with applications currently open for their Scholarship Programme, which allows those early in their careers or unable to afford a full-price ticket to potentially still attend. Photo: World Experience Organisation All of the information shared in this article is subject to change. Please check the most up-to-date version of London Experience Week schedule here . London Experience Week will run from 28th April to 3rd May 2025 at various venues around London. To find out more about the events and book tickets, visit worldxo.org

Champagne, acrobatics, and cabaret combine to make a riotous and sexy night out in semi-immersive show Sabrage, which recently premiered at Lafayette in King's Cross. Photo: Johan Persson Sabrage, the latest show from Australian producers Strut & Fret and Southwark-based Menier Chocolate Factory, has opened its doors at Lafayette in King's Cross. Taking over a space that up until now has primarily been a music venue, it's a champagne-soaked evening of acrobatics, cabaret, comedy, singing and lip-syncing that treats its audience like extensions of the show's eight-strong cast. Within Sabrage, champagne is a running theme. The show gets its name from the ceremonial technique of slicing off the top of a champagne bottle with a sabre - an act that fittingly opens the show - and presumably, there are crates of the stuff positioned backstage, given how much is sprayed, downed and decanted throughout the evening. Photo: Johan Persson Across two hours, the show offers guests the chance to witness some wonderfully choreographed numbers from both the ensemble and the likes of Skye Ladell, whose suggestive solo performance to 'Go F**k Yourself' by Two Feet has them silhouetted against a red backdrop. There are excellent musical performances from Rechelle Mansour peppered throughout and anxiety-inducing feats of acrobatics, including foot juggling from the incredibly skilled Emma Phillips, who balances and spins four parasols followed by a large wooden table on the soles of her feet. Christian Nimri's sharp rollerskating routine transitions into an impressively high-speed aerial hoop sequence, while acrobatic duo Kimberley Bargenquast and Flynn Miller close out the show's final act with a duo straps performance that sees them hang onto and off each other as they rapidly spin above the audience. It's moments like these in which the intimacy provided by Lafayette's size comes into its own. With so little distance between the performers and the crowd, the skill and expertise on display from the entire cast can be taken in and appreciated all the more. Photo: Roy J Baron While Sabrage isn't billed as an immersive experience, it's structure and design lends itself to being semi-immersive, and there are plenty of moments in which the cast and the audience interact. The performers can often be seen under a spotlight leaning over Lafayette's balcony above the crowd, hanging off ladders and ledges amongst the tables, or sitting in the laps of audience members with next to no notice. In between the main acts, the hosting duo of Remi Martin (the person, not the Cognac) and Spencer Novich offer up numerous moments of explicit humour and take great joy in roping in the audience as they weave around the space. There are grapes thrown from the venue's balcony into the mouths of audience members and the cast down below, some cringe-inducing impressions coaxed out of the audience by the duo, and during a show-stopping rendition of ' Non, je ne regrette rien ' from a naked Martin, who uses his.. instrument... as an instrument behind a waist-high French flag, an audience member is called upon for help picking up and handing over microphones and lotions outside of Martin's limited grasp. Photo: Johan Persson There are also a couple of big set-piece moments in Sabrage that directly involve the crowd. An on-stage pillow fight quickly spills out into the stalls, with plumes of feathers flying everywhere as performers and audience wage cushioned war against each other, and later in the show Martin and Bargenquast , champagne bottles in hand, hang off the end of a rotating pole that spins over the crowd as bubbles fill the room. Audience member's empty champagne flutes are topped up by the pair from directly overhead, and in a moment that feels ripped from the opening of Babylon, one guest has champagne poured directly into their mouth from 10 feet in the air before Bargenquast spins away to top up more glasses. Immersive elements aside, Sabrage is a wonderful show that'll likely leave you smiling ear to ear. With some great adult humour, provocative moments and impressive feats of acrobatics on display, it ticks all the boxes for a great night out. For those looking to scratch that immersive itch with a new piece of work, there are also plenty of fun interactions for both individuals and the wider audience to engage with that feel tailor-made to ensure everyone leaves happy. Raise a glass! ★★★★ ½ Photos: Johan Persson/Matt Crockett Sabrage runs at Lafayette in King's Cross until 6th July 2025. Tickets are priced from £25.75 per person. For more info and to book tickets, visit sabrageshow.co.uk